The story starts off with Guybrush klepto-ing his way out of his own grave ("What's all this dirt doing here? Maybe I'll just hang on to some..."). How he got there is covered in the previous four episodes, which we won't spoil for you here. After passing by a Grog vending machine and some other promising-looking puzzle pieces, he encounters the Boatman — that infamous character out of legend who ferries the dead on to whatever awaits them.

In Guybrush's case, this is Crossroads — where Pirates go to die or be half-dead. With a Shred of Life in his pocket and a thin hope that he can get back to his body to be reunited with his wife Elaine, our hero goes on questing in Crossroads essentially the same way he did when he was alive.

Things don't get interesting 'til Guybrush actually discovers the way to return to his body. The demo master behind our tiny sample of Episode 5 didn't reveal how this comes about exactly (something to do with a locket) — but rather jumped ahead to a point in time when Guybrush's ghost was able to communicate to some buddies about why his corpse was being used as a dartboard. Strangely, the pirates were glad to see Guybrush in his corporeal form, but when he somehow got back into his own body, they freaked out and attacked him.

Clearly, this whole life after death thing is more complicated than zombie movies have led us to believe. If Guybrush being back in his body doesn't make his body undead, does that make him a standard zombie or some other iteration of undead? And where does this put his relationship with Elaine because pirates probably have laws about necrophilia.

Our demo ended with one final attempt to repossess Guybrush's body — which landed us in jail this time — where Guybrush got kicked out of his corpse after spending too long in the land of the living. Because the game was in its early days of development, there were no fight scenes to see. But we were told to expect a "good, classic boss fight" at the end of Episode 5.

As for the future of series, Telltale isn't telling. They do intend on releasing the full box copy for PC relatively soon after Episode 5 goes live and they said we can expect that we'll "be hearing from" Telltale "very soon" about their next big project. Also, they did say they were "committed to getting as many things on as many platforms as possible" in response to a question about an Xbox Live release for Tales of Monkey episodes. But again, nothing definite.

And for all you Wii fans out there still waiting for 1) a box copy of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People and 2) a release date on the WiiWare version of Episode 5, Telltale says 1) blame Nintendocomplicated circumstances and 2) it'll be out whenever Nintendo approves it.

Tales of Monkey Island Episode 5: Rise of the Pirate God is out for PC December 8.

ETA: Telltale's Will Armstrong wants to clarify that the situation is not about Nintendo being slow, but rather that the timing of completing the game and getting it to Nintendo for their submission process is complicated. Hence why they can't guarantee same-day releases between PC and WiiWare episodes.

Guybrush Threepwood, that lovable swashbuckler with an addiction to item-hoarding, has gone to the big pirate ship in the sky. Or Davey Jones' Locker — or whatever nautical euphemism for death that you prefer. The "Story So Far" trailer will catch you up on all the events leading to this sad, sad day. But without hearing the words of friends and loved ones, we can never really know how profound a loss the pirate community has suffered.

So last night I actually sat through a eulogy for Guybrush and about halfway through the account of the fictitious character's life, I had to ask — is this really how you eulogize a video game character? It just seems like there should be something else you have to do, some other ritual that a video game character would need more than a film character or a book character because death in video games is so temporary.

Maybe we should have all brought stones to last night's "funeral." In Judaism, we leave stones on graves both as a mark of respect and, as my grandmother told me, "So they stay dead instead of trying to follow you home."

Anyone want to take bets on whether or not Guybrush stays dead?

Despite adding a grand total of ten new titles across Nintendo's three downloadable game platforms, this week's update is relatively tame. The only real big-name title is the fourth chapter of Tales of Monkey Island for WiiWare (1,000 Wii points). Other WiiWare additions this week include Hudson's zoo simulation My Zoo (500 points), Digital Leisure's helicopter rescue title Copter Crisis (500 points), and a Christmas-themed puzzle game from JV Games called Christmas Clix (1,000 points).

DSiWare gets four new games as well, starting with EA's Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes (800 DSi points), which allows players to use the DSi camera and mic to create faces and voices for every character in the game. Outside of that gimmick, its a pretty simple platforming puzzle game, but still more interesting than Master of Illusion Express: Mind Probe (200 points), Sudoku Challenge! (500 points), and PopCap's Bookworm (500 points).

The Virtual Console gets the short end of the stick this week, with Super Nintendo beat-em up The Combatribes (800 points) and TECMO's action/puzzle arcade game Solomon's Key (600 points).

I might pick up Foto Face, if only to have something new to do with my DSi camera. Your thoughts?

WiiWare

Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 4
Publisher: Telltale Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Cartoon Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Conspiracies, betrayal and shocking revelations as the Tales of Monkey Island intensity builds. Guybrush returns to Flotsam Island, but forget about a hero's welcome. Handed over to De Singe by the backstabbing Morgan LeFlay, Guybrush is seized by an angry mob and put on trial. With a silk-tongued prosecutor in his face and a hangman's noose dangling over his neck, Guybrush must figure out how to defend himself against grave accusations. Meanwhile, the determined Marquis sets his sights on a new and far more attractive test subject. How on earth will the Mighty Pirate get out of this mess? The monthly Tales of Monkey Island tension continues to mount in The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood. Brace yourself for a shocking revelation that will rock the world of Monkey Island to its core.

My Zoo™
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: My Zoo is a relaxing animal sim that puts you in the shoes of an animal breeder, raising up animals you'd normally only dream of. All it takes is a Wii Remote™ controller for a simple, yet fulfilling, connection with nature. There are 12 animal types in total (four sold separately as add-on content). Select your favorites and nurture them to adulthood. Feeding them, petting them and cleaning up their messes are great ways to form a lasting bond. Each animal's personality will change depending on how you take care of it. Watch them get spoiled, turn into over-eaters and more as they grow on a daily basis. Some animals will even have a baby on occasion, and once it's born, you've got another mouth to feed. Game time passes much more quickly than real time, and the different animal types are active at various hours - some during the day and some at night. Sometimes it's fun to just kick back and watch what they do. So what are you waiting for? It's time to create your own personal zoo.

Copter Crisis
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Copter Crisis puts you in the pilot's seat. As a member of the elite Helicopter Rescue Squad, you'll be assigned to respond to any type of emergency anywhere at any time. As the newest member joining this team, you'll have to complete various missions with the latest in helicopter rescue technology. When you're ready, you'll be tasked with executing rescue missions all around the Black Rock Canyon. Your Wii Remote controller becomes the control stick as you guide your copter along the canyons while avoiding rocks, severe weather and even anti-aircraft fire. Rescue lost hikers, deliver supplies to remote areas, assist on scientific missions and even blast your way into underground cavern systems. Complete all of your objectives and rise through the ranks to take on the toughest rescues and unlock 10 bonus missions. Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play allows you to enhance your flight experience with 10 additional copters, which can give you access to unlimited missiles, larger fuel tanks, cargo holds and even mid-air loops.

Christmas Clix
Publisher: JV Games Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Christmas doesn't have to be all work for Santa, does it? Santa's having some fun and wants you to play along too. You can help Santa decorate the tree by removing the presents and ornaments that he stacks. When you consecutively connect packages without missing a beat, you get extra points. Collect as many candy canes as you can because when you collect enough, Santa will add a special star to the game that can greatly help you get through a level or just bring some additional fun.

Nintendo DSiWare

Foto Face™: The Face Stealer Strikes
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Your face, your game, you're the hero. In Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes, YOU get to be in the game. Using the camera and microphone, you become the hero in your own game. Unlock a variety of hero costumes as you battle the baddies, search for stars and solve platforming puzzles. The Face Stealer has stolen your identity and is creating trouble - and everyone is blaming you. You have to track him down across 15 action-packed stages. Along the way, you'll come across many memorable creatures, both friend and foe. Use the camera and microphone to create faces and voices for every character in your game. Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes - a game starring YOU.

Bookworm
Publisher: PopCap Games, Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Feed your appetite for wordy fun in this download version of PopCap's hit word-puzzle game. Link letter tiles left, right, up and down to build words and feed Lex in Bookworm Classic mode. But watch out for burning letters - they could spell disaster for you and Lex. Use Reward Tiles and spell Bonus Words to boost your score and link your best words to enter the Hall of Fame. Play unlimited levels of word-puzzle fun and learn new words on the go. You'll relax and tune up your brain every time you play.

Master of Illusion™ Express: Mind Probe
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Master of Illusion Express titles are mind-boggling magic tricks that you perform with your Nintendo DSi™ system. Learn the illusions, practice up and then amaze your friends. Master of Illusion Express: Mind Probe uses your Nintendo DSi system as a means of detecting information. Ask a spectator to write down a favorite (or least-favorite) item - person, food or color, for example - and then be astonished when the Nintendo DSi system sounds an alarm to indicate when that item is spoken. Use any variation of likes or dislikes to stun the crowd.

Sudoku Challenge!
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Now's your chance to play the brain-busting puzzle game taking the world by storm. With more than 100,000,000 sudoku puzzles, you'll never see the same puzzle twice in Sudoku Challenge! You can select the classic nine-by-nine sukodu game boards as well as Grand Sudoku, which challenges you to complete five intersecting sudoku boards simultaneously. Just a beginner? Don't worry - with three difficulty options, even the most novice player can complete a sudoku with ease. But if you're a seasoned pro, challenge yourself in "Hard" mode and test your true skills. It's time to get your thinking cap on and see how many sudoku puzzles you can conquer.

Virtual Console

The Combatribes™
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: The evil gang known as "Guilty Zero" rules the city, and it's up to you as one of the members of the Combatribes to take them down. Choose one of three characters and fight your way through the city of New York. Progress through the game by tackling the goons and boss of each stage using your arsenal of kicks, punches, throws and other techniques to beat them into submission. Once your stamina bar is reduced to zero, you'll need to use a continue, but when you're out of continues, it's game over. Can you eliminate the threat of "Guilty Zero" and restore the peace in New York City!?

Solomon's Key™
Original platform: Arcade
Publisher: TECMO
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: Solomon's Key is an action/puzzle game that lets you control the wizard Dana, delving into a labyrinth to seek out a magical tome called Solomon's Key, an item that will help in your quest to drive away evil spirits let loose in the world. The goal of the game is to use the buttons to create and destroy blocks, and use various techniques to find keys to pass through doors. The game has appeared on a variety of platforms, but the arcade version focuses strongly on the action elements of the game, making it more challenging, and allowing players of all skill levels, from beginners to masters, to enjoy it. Settings like the number of lives and difficulty level can be adjusted.

The third chapter of Telltale Games' episodic adventure game hit the Nintendo Wii on Monday, and the PC version of chapter four is coming out on Friday? What a difference the WiiWare approval and scheduling process makes! I suppose Wii players should stop reading to avoid spoiling the fact that Guybrush finds himself trapped back on chapter two's Flotsam Island, now riddled with the pox that he brought there. Before he can progress to the series' epic conclusion he must avoid being executed for his heinous crimes - though when your wife looks like Elaine does right now, it might be for the best to just let nature take its course.

Tales of Monkey Island: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood will be available for PC purchase this Friday.

WiiWare gets the bulk of the spooky in this week's additions to WiiWare, DSiWare, and the Virtual console. Each of the three gets two new games each, but with Gameloft's Ghost Mansion Party (1,000 Wii points) and the continuation of Telltale's Tales of Monkey Island series (1,000 points), WiiWare takes the razorblade-laden cake. Ghost Party is like Mario Party, only with Mario and friends replaced with ghosts trying to enter a spooky mansion. Meanwhile, Tales of Monkey Island chapter three sees Guybrush swallowed by a giant manatee, which he obviously must escape from if he hopes to end the Pox of LeChuck and save Elaine from certain doom.

The Virtual Console gets the arcade version of Golden Axe (900 points), which really needs no description, along with LucasArts classic Zombies Ate my Neighbors (800 points), which should be perfect for those of us who really hate our neighbors.

DSiWare completely fails to be spooky this week, however, delivering the strategic PictureBook Games: The Royal Bluff (500 DSi points) and EA's Sudoku (200 points), which is only scary if you are arithmophobic.

As always, check out the official descriptions below to learn more about the games you will or will not be spending your Nintendo points on this week.

WiiWare

Ghost Mansion Party
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Fazzy the ghost has been locked out of his mansion by some evil spooks, and he's willing to give his treasure to anyone who can chase them out. Work cooperatively and competitively with friends and family to defeat the ghosts and discover a huge hidden treasure. Travel around this wild mansion in board-game fashion, landing on mini-games that everyone can enjoy. You'll even engage in challenges on the board itself as you try to collect magic scrolls and hints to reveal the secret word that will open the doors to the treasure. Get your Wii Remote™ controllers ready - you're about to play with them in ways you've never imagined.

Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 3
Publisher: Telltale Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Comic Mischief, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: In the third Tales of Monkey Island chapter, Guybrush gets in deep - literally - as his quest for the voodoo exfoliating La Esponja Grande takes a scenic detour through the guts of a giant manatee. Our hero encounters a surprising band of castaways, including the long-lost explorer Coronado De Cava. Can the Mighty Pirate win the suspicious De Cava's trust? Will sexy pirate hunter Morgan LeFlay prove to be a ruthless enemy or an unlikely ally? Will the group find La Esponja Grande in time to save Elaine from the rampant Pox of LeChuck? And will the world be crushed by the gnashing teeth of a certain demonic skull? Tales of Monkey Island's moist and absorbing third episode, "Lair of the Leviathan," will answer some of these urgent questions and raise even more as the five-month adventure builds to its epic climax.

Virtual Console

Zombies Ate My Neighbors™
Publisher: LucasArts
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: You will play the game as one of two brave kids: Zeke or Julie. Both kids use the same control scheme and have the same characteristics. If you're playing in two-player mode, each player must pick a kid. You can't have two Zekes or two Julies. Each player starts with three lives. When your life bar runs out, you lose a life. There are hidden 1-Up bonuses in the game. You may also earn bonus lives if you have 10 victims left when you finish a level. Get ready to conquer 48 levels of giant ants, mad scientists and big babies. Find seven bonus levels (look for the question marks), earn points and stockpile your water pistols and other weapons.

Golden Axe
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Blood, Fantasy Violence
Price: 900 Wii Points
Description: In this original arcade game that launched the popular Golden Axe series, the evil Death Adder has invaded your land and taken the king and princess prisoner. Three mighty warriors step forward to bring the villain to justice: powerful fighter Ax Battler, Amazon warrior Tyris Flare and mighty dwarf Gilius Thunderhead. They will use their weapons and magic to fight their way through Death Adder's hordes. Along the way, they'll mount fearsome, fire-spitting beasts to help even the odds. Team up with a friend and enjoy two-player simultaneous game play for a better chance of survival.

Nintendo DSiWare

PictureBook Games: The Royal Bluff
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Aristocratic opponents square off in PictureBook Games: The Royal Bluff, a game of strategy and deceit. Compete for points by adding or subtracting colored chips from rows on the game board and trying to guess each of your opponent's secretly assigned chip colors. Once you're confident in your deduction, issue a Call Out attempt to earn bonus points - at the risk of giving your opponent an extra point if you're wrong. Three modes of play (Tournament, Free Play, DS Wireless Play) offer a variety of options, from facing off against an assortment of computer opponents to competing in a wireless match with up to four players. Throw Trick Cards into the mix and you've got a winning combination of tactics and trickery that's sure to score points.

SUDOKU
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: SUDOKU offers hundreds of number-crunching puzzles that will stretch your brain power to the limit. Take it even further by playing in the exclusive Newspaper Mode. Add a daily puzzle from your favorite paper and build your very own collection. From Easy to Insane, a total of five different levels are available for novices and masters alike. Enjoy a host of grid designs that will keep you coming back for more. This worldwide phenomenon delivers an exhilarating game of logic that's not only challenging, but also surprisingly relaxing. It's everything you want for a quick puzzle getaway. Make life easier by taking advantage of smart features like automatic annotation for effortless calculation of your achievements. Stumped? Get help with error-checking tools and friendly cell hints. Track your stats and test your reaction time with the in-game timer. This addictive brain game has been polished to perfection and renders a sleek design that's easy on the eyes.

Being inside a manatee will do that – and I don't just mean in its mouth, I mean deep inside its bowels. Our smart-talking hero finds himself stranded there and remarkably undigested after a run in with Mighty Pirate Hunter Morgan LeFlay. The two of them wind up trapped with a series of colorful characters and piles of odd stuff inside the manatee and the majority of the third episode will focus on Guybrush and Morgan working together to get out of their gross surroundings.

Sadly, Telltale wasn't ready to let anybody get their hands on Episode Three (which comes out at the end of this month). But they were happy to walk me through the end of one fetch-quest sequence where Guybrush has a "face-off" with another manatee-stranded pirate whose vote he needs to make some other stranded pirate do… something. Hey, they weren't going to reveal the whole plot to me in one sitting.

The face-off game looks to be a challenge where you've got to click three options out of a menu and hope that they're the right combination to out-gross-out the pirate. Like the inventory system – which is just the same as it was in the first two episodes – there will be some hints to figuring out what to click when. But random combinations could always pay off, too.

The interesting thing to me is the change of setting. In the previews two episodes, Guybrush and other characters were traipsing around jungle settings – which must've made it really easy for Telltale's art team to just re-use stuff. However, the developer says they were already working on the inside of the manatee level since around episode two – and while we won't see this setting again in Episode four, it just might make a comeback in the "very interesting" ending they're promising.

Telltale is shooting to wrap up Tales of Monkey Island by the end of November, give or take a few weeks. It'll be a little while before we can expect to see a compilation game in box form (which is how I like to buy them), what with Sam & Max Season 3 in the works. But with a few more pirate-themed deals along the lines of the Talk Like A Pirate Day promotion, maybe you can wrangle all five of the episodes together for a reasonable price.

Tales of Monkey Island, Episode Three is out September 29.

The giveaway goes on all day on the 19th, but through the 21st of September, they're also giving gamers %50 off on the iPhone, Steam and Direct2Drive special editions of The Secret of Monkey Island. Hit 'em up here come Talk Like a Pirate Day for the free stuff.

And for the record, I did try to write this entire post in pirate speak, but it caused me physical pain. If you want to take a crack at it below, I'll award 10 to the would-be pirate translator who doesn't make my head explode.

Tales of Monkey Island, Episode Three is on the way September 29.

Telltale's Tales of Monkey Island continues this week in WiiWare, with Guybrush Threepwood searching for a cure to the mysterious Pox of LeChuck, which he caught in the last episode due to his trademark improvisational skills. 1,000 Wii points gets you back into the adventure. Those of you who prefer sitting in front of the television shaking your WiiMote might prefer Tecmo's 3-2-1 Rattle Battle!, a series of rattle-based mini-games for 500 Wii points. It's single-player, but you can upload your scores to see how you compare against others on a global scale. Sounds...exciting?

Not nearly as exciting as this week's Virtual Console title, Sega's Phantasy Star for the Sega Master System. The journey into the stars begins here, with 500 Wii points and a tolerance for severely dated graphics the only items you need to experience the first chapter of the Phantasy Star saga.

The DSiWare service gets another title this week as well, with Nintendo's Puzzle League Express delivering four single-player modes of puzzle goodness for 500 DSi points.

Definitely seems to be some interesting games from aged franchises this week. Of course the stage is stolen by a combination of 3-2-1 Rattle Battle! and sarcasm. Check out the full descriptions below for more info.

WiiWare™

Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 2
Publisher: Telltale Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Alcohol Reference, Cartoon Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Guybrush's adventures continue on the high seas as pox-plagued pirates lay siege to the innocent Mer-People. Between defending the Mer-People and dodging the persistent pirate hunter hot on his trail, Guybrush manages to catch up to his beloved wife and despised arch-nemesis, but the reunion is short-lived. Now Guybrush must focus on eradicating the Pox of LeChuck before more harm can be done. And as the Mighty Pirate draws closer to a cure, the waters will only grow murkier in this thrilling chapter of the epic saga.

3-2-1, Rattle Battle!
Publisher: Tecmo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: 3-2-1, Rattle Battle! is a party game packed with exciting mini-games. Intuitive controls mean that anyone can enjoy playing – just grab the Wii Remote™ and shake it to "rattle." Great fun for single players, but the party really gets started when you register high scores on Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection to see how you measure up against players from around the globe.

Virtual Console™

Phantasy Star™
Original platform: SEGA Master System
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone 10 and Older) – Animated Blood, Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Originally released on the SEGA Master System, Phantasy Star is a pioneer in the role-playing game genre. Alis is the fearless female protagonist out to avenge her brother's death at the hands of cruel dictator King Lassic. Players must guide Alis and her troops through the sprawling environments of the Agol solar system in an attempt to defeat King Lassic and liberate the people of Agol. Engage in dynamic turn-based combat with dragons, ghouls, giants and magicians by using unique weapons such as glowing daggers, crossbows and magic spells.

Nintendo DSiWare™

Puzzle League™ Express
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: The ever-popular Puzzle League comes to Nintendo DSiWare. As it is with all good puzzlers, the concept is simple: Connect blocks of the same color to clear them from the screen and prevent your stack from becoming too high. There are four single-player modes to choose from: Endless (survive to earn a top score), Clear (eliminate all blocks above the line), Score Attack (score as high as possible in two minutes) and Vs. COM (use items and combos to attack a computer opponent). You can choose from a variety of background music to help get you in the zone, and even play in horizontal or vertical mode by holding the Nintendo DSi system normally or like a book. Whichever way you play, you're guaranteed maximum fun.

Sure, Nintendo Wii players have had to wait a couple of weeks longer than PC gamers to take the next step on Guybrush Threepwood's journey to find redemption and salvation in a world that doesn't understand him, but look at it this way: it gives Telltale a chance to quickly fix anything that might not have been 100% in the PC version. In a way, the PC gamers are beta testing your game for you, and for the most part they have to sit in uncomfortable office chairs to play it. Wii are the champions, my friends.

Look for Chapter 2 to hit the North American WiiWare service on Monday for 1,000 Wii points.

The Siege of Spinner Cay coming to WiiWare this Monday! [Telltale]

When we last left our intrepid pirate friend, he had found himself stranded on Flotsam Island, a strange place where the wind always blows inward, leaving him little hope of escaping and rescuing his wife Elaine from the vile (and suddenly human) clutches of his arch-nemesis LeChuck.

"Launch of the Screaming Narwhal" has received universal acclaim for its gameplay and story that strands Guybrush on Flotsam Island, where in the tradition of the great old movie serials with cliffhanger endings, Guybrush must rout an array of eccentric characters and unravel a myriad of pirate adventures – before he can escape the perplexing island and battle the villainous LeChuck again in Chapter 2, "Siege of Spinner Cay."

Look for the Wii version of chapter 2 to hit shortly after the PC version's Thursday, August 20th debut.

It's called "Siege of Spinner Cay", and will be out on August 20, keeping with the publisher's plans of releasing one episode per month. Be interesting to see how it goes down, actually, as I thought I liked the first episode, but then went and played Monkey Island: Special Edition and realised these new games are just like Telltale's Sam & Max titles; facsimiles of earlier work, which do an admirable job of colouring between the lines but just never quite capture the same feel as the original games.

This marks the second week in a row that we've seen no classic games added to Nintendo's Virtual Console, but with Guybrush Threepwood making his WiiWare debut in the first episode of Tales of Monkey Island (1,000 WiiWare points) it's certainly not a crippling omission. Once you've exhausted Monkey Island you can find more high adventure in The Three Musketeers: One for All from Legendo Entertainment (900 points), a platforming game featuring Porthos...which technically makes it The One of Three Musketeers. Once your blood pressure has been raised by all of that swashbuckling, relax with HB Arcade Cards (500 points), which brings Rummy, Hearts, Euchre, Canasta, Cribbage and of course Solitaire to WiiWare.

The strong WiiWare line up this week is counterbalanced by the lone DSiWare offering, Sudoku Student (200 DSi points), which is the classic number-crunching puzzle game for beginners.

I guess we've just run out of classic games. Oh well. Check out the official descriptions through the hazy veil of tears.

WiiWare

Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 1
Publisher: Telltale Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Alcohol Reference, Comic Mischief, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Join Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate, in this first chapter of an epic five-part saga, filled with humor, romance and piratey swashbuckling. When a showdown with the demon pirate LeChuck goes up in flames, Guybrush gets marooned on a strange island. How will he escape? Where is Guybrush's beloved wife, Elaine? And what's up with the voodoo pox spreading through the isles? Jump into Tales of Monkey Island today to find out!

The Three Musketeers: One for All!
Publisher: Legendo Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Cartoon Violence
Price: 900 Wii Points
Description: The Three Musketeers have been imprisoned by the treacherous Count Xavier and his sinister lieutenant, Count Orsini! Well, almost - take on the role of Porthos, famed member of the Musketeers, to save the day in this swashbuckling platform adventure inspired by the classic novel. Swing the Wii Remote™ to launch blistering sword attacks on your foes, avoid fiendish traps and discover hidden collectables. Packed with frenetic fencing, heroic leaps and fun puzzles, this is one adventure no aspiring hero will want to miss.

HB Arcade Cards
Publisher: HB Studios Multimedia
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: HB Arcade Cards is a great collection of fun and easy-to-play card games. The collection of games included in this title includes: Rummy, Hearts, Euchre, Canasta, Cribbage and the always-classic Solitaire. Each game comes with an interactive tutorial to show you the rules and basic game play. You'll need to be clever to outsmart your opponents, and you can even team up with a computer partner to play Euchre and Cribbage. You can play HB Arcade Cards using a Mii™ character from your Wii™ console, or play with one of our four new characters. HB Arcade Cards has lots of style and flare, and will keep you coming back for more. Remember, it's never the same game twice.

Nintendo DSiWare

Sudoku Student
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Sudoku Student brings you the first Nintendo DSiWare sudoku experience with all the features you'd expect. For "students" of sudoku who are just getting their feet wet, Sudoku Student comes with a full tutorial. Once you've completed the tutorial, jump into simple and easy-going sudoku puzzles. Designed for entry- to beginner-level players, you'll find just the right amount of challenge to keep you hooked.

And by "new" we don't mean the new version of the old game, we mean the proper new one. Telltale's "Launch of the Screaming Narwhal." It'll be out in North America later today (or if you slept in will be out already!), but for PAL customers, sorry, Telltale will "have release date information for you guys very soon".

Launch of the Screaming Narwhal coming to WiiWare July 27! [Telltale]

Telltale Games has launched a contest that could see your words immortalized in the final episode of the five-part Tales of Monkey Island adventure game serial. Fans have between now and August 10th to submit short line about how Guybrush done them wrong at the Game Designer for a Day contest page. Entries are then voted for by fans, with the top vote getter each week eligible to win the grand prize - infamy! The winning entry will have their line voiced by Telltale talent, and score a game writing credit in the process.

Looking at the page right now, the top entry this week is "He sunk my battleship!", so I'd say there's still plenty of room for improvement.

Man, are game writers lazy this month or what?

This is the first few minutes of the first installment of Tales of Monkey Island, due out next week on the PC and Nintendo Wii. As you can see, they've done a fine job of capturing the spirit of the series, particularly in the dialog of Mr. Guybrush Threepwood, whose calm in the face of incredible danger verges on stupidity. Yeah, we'll go with that.

For fans of the original PC adventure games, the setting, situation and characters will be immediately familiar. Elaine Marley has apparently been captured by ghostly pirate, LeChuck (again) and Guybrush Threepwood – Elaine's husband of some years – has apparently gone on a quest to find voodoo ingredients to defeat him and is only just now arriving to save the day.

For the uninitiated folks, the game will still seem familiar: tits go up and things get wacky, just like you'd expect them to in a Telltale game.

What Is It?
Tales of Monkey Island is a new adventure told in five parts that picks up where the Monkey Island adventure game series left off. A ton of LucasArts alumni who worked on the original games evidently wound up at Telltale and convinced LucasArts to let them develop a fifth game in a five-part episodic format typical of other Telltale games.

What We Saw
I played through the beginning of the first episode to the point where Guybrush washes up on Flotsam Island, determines that he needs to defeat a pirate called Deep Gut to obtain the only ship on the island and for some reason, his hand is glowing green and randomly punches him.

How Far Along Is It?
The PC version ships July 7, but Telltale's tendency is to work all the way up until the day before they roll an episode out; so this build definitely didn't look done. They're still hammering out a mouse control scheme and graphics were missing or broken.

What Needs Improvement?
The mouse control scheme: There's a divide among PC adventure gamers between those that like W, A, S, D plus mouse and space bar and those that only want to use the mouse. Telltale has experience with both in their point-and-click adventures work—and a keyboard-only control scheme in Wallace and Gromit—but for Monkey Island, they're looking for a compromise. Right now, you can use the keyboard to move around, but you still need the mouse to click stuff and manipulate your inventory. The alternative is to click and hold the left mouse button to bring up a red direction arrow over Guybrush. Dragging the mouse in this mode will make Guybrush walk steadily in whatever direction the mouse is moving toward. It's still a bit twitchy, and it would be nice if you didn't have to hold the left button down; but there's still plenty of time for the development team to figure it out.

What Should Stay The Same?
It's Monkey Island, Not Sam & Max: People are skeptical of Telltale's take on Monkey Island because it looks cartoony –- like Sam & Max. Based on what I've seen, however, Telltale hasn't forgotten what it is that made Monkey Island a great series. For example, they've worked very hard to keep the wide-roaming adventure feel of the original games intact. Most Telltale games work with a centralized location that the characters keep going back to in every game; this allows the artists to reuse the same assets in every episode. Tales of Monkey Island scraps the hub, however, and sets each adventure in a different location. Even when Guybrush gets a ship, says Telltale, it won't become a permanent fixture – this is a Monkey Island adventure and anything can happen.

Final Thoughts
Personally, I'm the type to wait for compilations like Sam & Max Save The World instead of shelling out for monthly installments. However, I'm told that the adventure-ness of Monkey Island –- complete with episode cliffhangers -– will turn the game into one of those things you have to keep up with. Like the TV show Lost, only infinitely funnier.

Dave Grossman of Telltale tells Eurogamer that the developer "wouldn't rule it out," but would simply have to wait for the already announced versions, some of which we got a peek at during E3, to ship.

"We didn't so much decide not to put it on Xbox Live Arcade as we decided not to put it on XBLA now," Grossman said to Eurogamer. "Normally what we do is PC and one of the other platforms, and we've been bouncing back and forth between them.

Telltale certainly has experience with this whole episodic thing, as well as WiiWare, PC and XBLA development, thanks to its Sam & Max and Wallace and Grommit adventures. The only digital distribution platform that still seems to be missing is the PlayStation Network, something Grossman sounds positive on, if not committal.

XBLA Tales of Monkey Island possible [Eurogamer]

Day four, meanwhile, was slim pickings — although that Fat Princess trailer really had me laughing. The Super Mario Galaxy 2 trailer was my favorite from day three without a doubt, although Final Fantasy XIII was pretty cool. Give me Yoshi in space over emo any day.

Anyone want to nominate a Best of E3 clip?

Day Three
Watch The PSP Go Sliding In Action
Ratchet & Clank Future E3 Developer Trailer
Gran Turismo 5 Trailer Has, Yes, Car Damage
Super Mario Galaxy 2 Screens And Trailer
A New Final Fantasy XIII Trailer For You To Watch
Heavy Rain Trailer Falls On E3
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles E3 Trailer
Assassin's Creed 2 Gameplay Glides In
Kratos Is In The New Soulcalibur
Whip It With This Castlevania: Lord of Shadow Trailer
Natasha Bedingfield Serenades A DSi

Day Four
You Ever Wonder What The Bottom Of An Avatar Shoe Looks Like?
Today's Most Relaxing Trailer? Echochrono
The Grinder E3 Trailer
Plus-Sized Fat Princess E3 Trailer
Taste Hot Monkey Vengeance!
This Is The Most Technically Impressive Thing I've Seen All Week